The board of directors of PHI has decided to focus on continuing Frank Cook’s tradition of leading trips internationally.

The first such trip was to Costa Rica from 2/29 – 3/13 2016. We had an incredible itinerary including a number of excellent events and inspiring facilities. A small group of people was led by PHI executive director Marc Williams. Now we are planning to lead a tour to the Andes of  Peru near the end of the coming year. More details will be forthcoming in the next 6 weeks however for further information feel free to contact marc@plantsandhealers.org

Experience The Plants And Healers of Peru!

December 1st – December 8th, 2016

Join members of Plants and Healers International for a memorable and educational immersion into the mountains and valleys, forests and jungles of Peru, to discover and reconnect to the plants and the healers of this remarkable region.  The Andean Highlands have long been a source and destination for people seeking health and connection to the Mother Earth.  This winter, you can be one of the few that makes the journey, and brings back the knowledge! The itinerary is still a bit in formation as is subject to change somewhat.

Day 1
We will meet in the beautiful colonial city of Cuzco for an afternoon drive through the Sacred Valley to Ollantaytambo, where we will meet our friends and stay in their wonderful little lodge, The Casa de Wow.
This small and lovely bed & breakfast will be our base for much of our exploration of the Sacred Valley.  The knowledgable and considerate staff are local Quechua people.  They will aid us in getting a deeper look at the beauty and majesty of this special place!

 

 

Day 2
We begin the day with an adventure.  Puma Marka, a relatively unknown pre-Incan temple site, is our starting point.  A place where we can connect as a group, as well as touch down to the spirit of Pacha Mama, The Mother Earth.  From here we embark upon a short trek, accompanied by a local plant specialist that will help us become acquainted with the flora of the Andes!

 

 

Day 3
We will start day 3 out with a morning exploration of the fabulous ruins in Ollantaytambo.  While not as extensive as those of Machu Picchu, they are as equally exquisite!  Lunch will be followed by a trip to the circular Incan garden formations at Moray and a hike through the salt flats of Salinas.  An exceptional hike, from high in the mountains, back to our home on the valley floor! Tonight we will search out the elusive Chicha, a fermented corn beer, the favorite drink of the Andean people, who brew it and share it with great joy and reverence!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4
All aboard!!  From here Machu Picchu is a scenic two hour train ride aboard the lovely PeruRail along the Urubamba River.  We will leave Ollyantaytambo in the mid-afternoon, arriving with enough time to explore the colorful and quirky town of Aquas Caliente, with it’s artsy hostels, restaurants and hot springs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5

The ascent to Machu Picchu takes us from the valley floor to the nearly 8000 ft peaks!  Magnificent at sunrise, we will rise early to hike up before the buses arrive!  A full day exploring the ancient city, and an optional climb up to Huayna Picchu, the Moon Temple!  A dusk train ride will return us to The Casa de Wow.

 

 

 

Day 6
The Sacred Valley still has much to explore!  The old Incan town of Pisac is our next stop as we make our way back to Cusco.  We have an option here to explore the acres of ruins, connect with medicine makers,  as well as visit the Pisac Botanical Gardens!  We will be staying in one of the local Bed & Breakfasts.

 

 

 

 

Day 7
Brings us back to Cuzco where we will venture out to the amazing park-like setting of Sacsayhuaman, for an afternoon of exploring, botanical identification and foraging that will end in the making of several different types of medicines, including tinctures, ferments and essential oils!

 

 

 

Day 8

We wrap up our time together in Cuzco with a visit to the Chocolate museum and closing ceremony. Options for further travels in the area are in development for those that may want to continue on to the Amazon or Lake Titicaca for example.

Some of our guides “T. “Turtle” Turtlington, is a PHI Board Member currently living in Peru. He first visited the country with ethnobotanist Frank Cook in 2002. Over several visits to both the Amazon Basin and the Andean Mountains, he began to formulate a vision incorporating principles of permaculture, health, nutrition, herbalism, alternative economics and community empowerment as tools for organizing peoples around the common goals of food security and cultural longevity. His role in our trip will connect us to the larger picture of how the human/plant symbiosis has unfolded in The Sacred Valley, and where that is leading the peoples of today. His time and experience in the areas we will be visiting will help us ground and be able to see the finer details going on all around us.” Marc Williams is an ethnobiologist. He has studied the people, plant, mushroom, microbe interconnection intensively while learning to employ the different kingdoms of biology for food, medicine, and beauty. His training includes a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies concentrating in Sustainable Agriculture with a minor in Business from Warren Wilson College and a Master’s degree in Appalachian Studies concentrating in Sustainable Development with a minor in Geography and Planning from Appalachian State University. He has spent over 15 years working at a multitude of restaurants and various farms. His travels include adventures through 24 countries in North/Central America and Europe and all 50 of the United States. Marc has visited over 150 botanical gardens and research institutions during this process while taking tens of thousands of pictures of representative plants. He is also Executive Director of Plants and Healers International www.plantsandhealers.org and on the Board of Directors of the Appalachian Institute for Mountain Studies. He has taught hundreds of classes and thousands of people about the marvelous world of plants, people and their interface while working with over 60 organizations in the last few years and online at the website www.botanyeveryday.com.  Marc’s greatest hope is that his efforts may help improve our current challenging global ecological situation.